Nextwave
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Nextwave is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics, that debuted in 2006 and was cancelled after issue #12,[1] which was published in February 2007. It was written by Warren Ellis and drawn by Stuart Immonen with colors by Dave McCaig. Nextwave features extreme violence and comedy, simultaneously satirizing and celebrating Marvel's superhero comics. In an interview, Ellis said, "I took The Authority and I stripped out all the plots, logic, character and sanity."[2] "It’s an absolute distillation of the superhero genre. No plot lines, characters, emotions, nothing whatsoever. It’s people posing in the street for no good reason. It is people getting kicked, and then exploding. It is a pure comic book, and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. And afterwards, they will explode." [3]
With issue #3, Marvel changed the series title to Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. Artist Stuart Immonen stated that the title change is due to trademark issues.[4]
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[edit] Format
The series features two-issue story arcs, Each issue features a humorous FAQ, in which questions are answered with enthusiastic marketing copy that veers into the strange or disturbing, also used to answer questions posed by uninformed readers. The series frequently uses flashback scenes in which existing Marvel characters such as Ulysses Bloodstone and the Celestials act grossly out of character for comedic purposes.
A variant edition of issue #5, called the "Crayon Butchery Variant", was printed in black and white on newsprint. Marvel (through the website Comic Book Resources) encouraged readers to color the issue with crayons and enter the results, for a chance to win original artwork from the issue. The winner was announced in the letter column of the tenth issue. Issue #11 contains a series of splash pages that Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen devised so that in order to get the full impact of the scene, a reader might have to purchase six copies. On the last of the pages, a caption reads "Nextwave: Wasting your money since 2006".
Warren Ellis (on his website) stated in October 2006 that he had initially planned to write the series for twelve issues, then pass it across to another writer. He also announced that this plan had changed, as the ongoing series would be concluding with issue #12, at least partly because monthly sales would not justify keeping artist Stuart Immonen on the project after that point. Ellis has said that "there will be more Nextwave to come, presented as a sequence of limited series".[5]
The Youth Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has released their Best of 2007 lists and Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. were named among the 2007 Top Ten Great Graphic Novels for Teens.
Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E. writer Warren Ellis was happy to learn of the title’s recognition by YALSA. "I do it all for the children," says Ellis. In keeping with the off-beat humor of his book, Ellis added, “It is good to know that the young people of today are ready and waiting for me to form a Church."
Marvel congratulates the entire creative teams behind Nextwave as well as all the other creators recognized by YALSA.[1]
[edit] Plot
Nextwave features a collection of minor Marvel superheroes, including Monica Rambeau, the former Captain Marvel; Tabitha Smith, formerly of X-Force; Aaron Stack, the Machine Man; monster hunter Elsa Bloodstone; and new character The Captain, said to have been previously called Captain ☠☠☠☠. These individuals are assembled by H.A.T.E., the Highest Anti-Terrorism Effort, to fight Unusual Weapons of Mass Destruction (U.W.M.D.s). The Nextwave team learns that H.A.T.E. is funded by the Beyond Corporation©, an organization run by H.A.T.E.'s terrorist enemy S.I.L.E.N.T.; as a result, the heroes leave H.A.T.E., stealing a vehicle called the Shockwave Rider. They destroy U.W.M.D.s that the Beyond Corporation and H.A.T.E. has hidden around the United States, pursued by H.A.T.E. Director Dirk Anger, a parody of Nick Fury. The U.W.M.D.s include Fin Fang Foom, Broccoli Men, Ultra Samurai and the Mindless Ones.
[edit] Theme song
The main marketing thrust for this series is a theme song created by series editor Nick Lowe and his brother Matt, by their band Thunder Thighs, advertised on their MySpace page and lyrics printed in the "Director's cut" edition of the first issue.[citation needed]
[edit] Collections
- Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E Vol.1 - This Is What They Want (collecting Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E #1-6, 2006, hardback, ISBN 0-7851-2278-8)
- Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E Vol.1 - This Is What They Want (collecting Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E #1-6, 2007, softcover, ISBN 0-7851-1909-4)
- Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E Vol.2 - I Kick Your Face (collecting Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E #7-12, 2007, softcover, ISBN 0-7851-1910-8)
[edit] References
- ^ Warren Ellis' Bad Signal: "The Things"
- ^ Wizard universe chat session
- ^ Source: Heroes Con 06 Q&A session
- ^ Source: Drawing Board forum (Immonen posts as "Killdozer")
- ^ Source: www.warrenellis.com - "NEXTWAVE: The News"
